15 Years

Today marks the 15th anniversary of the death of Freddie Mercury. Freddie was a fantastic singer and performer and one of the few people to be truly a one of a kind. He is still missed.

Freddie Mercury
(aka Farrokh Bulsara)
5 September 1946 - 24 November 1991

"Those were the days of our lives - yeah
The bad things in life were so few
Those days are all gone now but one thing's still true
When I look and I find
I still love you
...
I still love you"
"Following the enormous conjecture in the press over the last two weeks, I wish to confirm that I have been tested HIV positive and have AIDS. I felt it correct to keep this information private to date to protect the privacy of those around me. However, the time has come now for my friends and fans around the world to know the truth and I hope that everyone will join with my doctors and all those worldwide in the fight against this terrible disease. My privacy has always been very special to me and I am famous for my lack of interviews. Please understand this policy will continue."
- Freddie Mercury, 23 November 1991
(His last public statement.)


From the Mercury Phoenix Trust website:

Immediately after the death of Freddie Mercury from AIDS related causes in London on 24th November 1991, the remaining members of Queen and Jim Beach their manager took the decision to raise money and awareness about AIDS in his memory. Together they organised the 1992 Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert for AIDS Awareness to launch The Mercury Phoenix Trust to distribute the monies raised from this concert.

Since 1992 the Mercury Phoenix Trust have been responsible for donating more than £8 million in the fight against AIDS making over 600 grants to charities worldwide. Applications for grants have come in from many countries around the world and collaboration has been realised with groups as far removed as the World Health Organisation to grass-root organisations run partly by voluntary workers in Uganda, Kenya, South Africa, Zambia, Nepal, India and South America. The Trust is following the latest developments in drug therapies and adapting funding policy to the changing needs of those affected by HIV/AIDS, and current concentrating it’s efforts on education and awareness in the Developing World.

More information about HIV/AIDS worldwide can be obtained from the World Health Organisation web site UNAIDS www.unaids.org, in the UK from the National AIDS Trust www.nat.org.uk and those interested in the latest developments on finding a vaccination against HIV infection should check out the web of the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative www.iavi.org. A very good source of general information is the www.aidsmap.com.